House



(No Model.) 2She ets-S het 1. H. A. HOUSE & H. A. HOUSE, Jr.

DOOR CHECK.

Patented Dec. 21. 1886.

(No Model.)

2 SheetsSheet 2. H. A. HOUSE & H, A. HOUSE, Jr.

DOOR CHECK.

Pate.:|Dec.-21,1886.

IIEII No. 354,551 k N. PETEBS, Phum-Llmu xmr. wmm m. n c

is a specification.

UN IIE Tar s ATENT OFFICE.

HENRY A. HOUSE AND HENRY'A. Honsn, Jn, OF BRIDGEPORT, Conn,

HECK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 35%,551, dated December 21, 1886.

Application filed October 6, 1886.

T9 on whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY A. HoUsE and HENRY A. HoUsE, J r., citizens of the United States, and residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Door-Checks, of which the following Our invention relates to door-buffers; and it consists of a door-buffer constructed in two parts, either of which may be applied to the door or frame, to contact with the other, and constructed, as fully set forth hereinafter, so that the movement of the door will not be resisted'iu opening, and will only be resisted when the door is closed quickly and at the termination of its closing movement.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View showing part of a door and frame provided with our improved-buffer. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view showing another construction of buffer applied to the door and frame. Fig. 3 is a face elevation in part section of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is aside elevation of a door and buffer, differently constructed and arranged from those shown in the other views, but embodying the invention. Fig. 5 is a part sectional elevation of- Fig. 4. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are sectional views illustrating modifications.

Ihe doorcheck consists, essentially, of-a cylinder, A, containing glyceriue, oil, or other liquid, and provided with a piston, B, and pis ton-rod 0, extending through the cylinder, and a contact-arm, D. One of these parts is arranged upon the door and the other upon the frame.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the cylinder is shown as supported by the frame and the contact arm or piece as supported by the door. In Figs. 4: and 5 the cylinder is shown as supported by the door, while the contact-piece is supported by the frame.

The cylinder may be immovably fixed to a bracket, 2, which supports it; or the said bracket may be provided with arms 3, with bearings for trunnions 4-, projecting from the cylinder, which can swing upon the trunnions; or the piston-rod may be hung between the arms 3, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the cylinder in this case sliding upon the piston and both swinging upon the pivot 4, by which the piston-rod is connected with the arms 3.

Serial No. 215,485. (No model.)

The parts are relatively so arranged upon the door and frame and so constructed and proportioned that the part carried by the door will swing freely with the latter, and will only make contact with the part carried by the frame as the door approaches the completion of its movement in closing, and when this contact is made the piston is caused to traverse the cylinder, and the fluid is forced from one side of the piston to the other through a contracted orifice, which restricts the flow to such an extent as to diminish the speed at which the piston can move, and the contact-piece is provided with an inclined face, so that the part I carried by the door cannot move inward with, the door until the piston has traveled to a certain extent along the cylinder, the closing of the door being thus limited or reduced in speed to accord with the slow travel of the piston, the sudden slamming of the door being thus prevented. At the same time,although the piston can travel but slowly, it will move with but a nominal resistance when there is no sudden application of power, and will therefore not prevent closing of the door under very slight pressures when it moves slowly. As the contact-piece is not directly connected to the piston or piston-rod, it has no action upon the piston or piston-rod resisting the opening of the door, and after the two parts have been separated from contact the piston will resume its first position, either by its weight or the weight of the cylinder, as in Figs. 2 and 3, or by the action of a spring, 6, Fig. 5, arranged within the cylinder and bearing against the piston to lift the same when the two parts of the buffer pass from contact. By thus making the buffer in two parts, so that there is no action to resist the movement of the door until it is about to close, we avoid any impediment to the movements of the door, except just, when it is closing. WVe practically avoid any resistance to the closing of the door when it is moving slowly, or when it is-open, whether it moves slowly or quickly.

As it would be impossible to move the piston in the cylinder if the latter were completely filled with liquid and the piston-rod were at but one side of the piston, we either ext-end the piston-rod through both ends of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 1, or we preferably provide an air-chamber within the cylinder, within the cylinder.

30 completes its movement.

5 forated to form the passage :11.

which the air is confined and compressed or relieved by the flow of the fluid to and from the same, as may result from the introduction of the piston-rod to a greater or less extentwithin We prefer to use the air-chamber, as it not only permits the movement of the piston, but also acts as a slightly-yielding cushion to reduce the impact of one part of the buffer against the other when they first make contact on the very sudden closing of the door, and as it also permits a slight movement of the piston independently of the flow of the fluid past it, and will thus avoid the breakage of the parts, which otherwise might I 5 result upon the application of sudden and excessive power to the door.

The air-chamber may be formed by leaving a portion of the cylinder unoccupied by liquid,

as in Fig. 6, or by the use of a piston with the 2 air-chamber X, formed within the same and open at the bottom, as in Figs. 3 and 5.

The parts may be differently constructed to permit a flow of the liquid from one side to the other of the piston. For instance, the

piston may be slightly smaller than the diameter of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 6, and the cylinder may contract in diameter, as shown in said figure, so as to result in a gradual con-- tracting of the liquid-passage x as the piston The same result may be obtained by making a longitudinal channel or passage, as, in the inner face of the cylinder of gradually-decreasing depth. In Fig. 8 we have shown the piston B as per- Inthis case the piston is a rocking piston extending from one side of the piston-rod which rocks in the cylinder, which is divided by means of a radial wing or partition, 9, an arm, 10, extending up from the piston-rod to make contact with a contact-plate, D, upon the door, or with the edge of the door itself.

We prefer to provide the piston with a valve,

so that fluid will pass through a contracted 5 passage as the piston moves in one direction when the door is closed, but will have an extended passage when the piston moves in the reverse direction upon the opening of the door. One construction for effecting this result is shown in Figs. 3 and 5, in which the piston B has an annular seat, 3 at the periphery, to which is adapted aring-valve, l2, slightly less in diameter than the diameter of the interior of the cylinder, and having an opening, 11,

larger in diameter than that portion w of the piston encircled by the ring, and pins or shoulders 13 are arranged as supports for the ring when the latter is away from the valve-case. When the ring rests upon the support 13 and the piston rises, the liquid can pass freely between the inner edge of the ring and the piston, so that no resistance results to the lifting of the piston, and when the piston descends very slowly, when the door is slowly closed,

the liquid can-also pass freely without resistance. When, however, the piston is thrown quickly downward, the resistance of the liquid causes the valve to take its position upon the seat y, and the piston can then pass downward only as fast as the liquid can flow between the edge of the valve and the inner face of the cylinder. It will be evident that the valve may be otherwise constructed to remain normally open when the piston moves slowly in either direction, but to close upon a sudden movement in one direction. When the cylinder is hung so as to swing upon trunnions, or suspended, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, it is used in connection with a pivoted coptactarm, E, hung to the bracket 2, connected to the sliding piston rod or cylinder, and extended to a position to make contact with the contact-piece D, the swinging of the cylinder permitting it to accommodate itself to the swinging movement necessarily resulting from the connection wit the arm E.

To reduce friction, the contacting parts .may be provided with anti-friction rollers 15.

By curving the contact-piece D, asshown in Figs. 4 and 5, or the contact-arm E, as shown in Fig. 3,we prevent too sudden a movement of the piston and reduce the shock of the contact, and by arranging and constructing the parts so that there is no tendency of one to rise over the other when the door is closed we avoid any tendency of the door to open after it is closed and any resistance to its free opening.

Without limiting ourselves to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, we claim v w 1. The combination,with a door and frame, of a contact-piece carried by one of said parts and a cylinder carried by the other, and a piston and piston-rod unconnected with the door or frame and arranged to make contact with the contact-piece as the door closes, a circulating-passage around or through the piston, and a liquid in the cylinder, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a door-buffer, of a cylinder containing a liquid, and provided with a piston, piston-rod and contracted passage through which the liquid may flow from one side to the other of the piston, and with an air-chamber confining a body of air, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the door-buffer cylinder, piston-rod, and piston recessed to form an air-chamber, with a passage for the flow of the liquid from one side to the other of the piston, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. The combination of the suspended buffercylinder provided with a piston, piston-rod, and liquid-passage, and a pivoted arm con- IIO nected to the piston and arranged to make encircling the piston and smaller in diameter In testimony whereof we have signed our to than the cylinder and carried by the piston, names to this specification in the presence of substantially as set forth. two subscribing witnesses.

6. The combination of the cylinder contain- 5 ing a liquid, a piston-rod, piston, and valve I JR arranged to partly close the passage for the I fluid from one side of the piston to the other Nitnesses:

and to normally occupy a position away from i W ALFRED B. Bnnns, its scat, substantially as set forth. JOHN G. GoUNLEY. 

